Door latch



March 10, 1959 A. VARRIN ET AL 2,877,037

DOOR LATCH Filed April so, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT ALBERT VARRIN ELMER G ANDERSON BY \7 la I r ATTORNEY unlined;

. DOOR LATCH Albert Varrin, Oregon City, and Elmer G. Anderson, Portland, reg., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Stanley N Lewis, Gardena, Calif. I p ,j q

Application April 30, 1956, Serial o. 581,547 3 Claims. 01. 292-192 This invention relates to latching meansfor maintaining hinged doors in closed position, and the main object of'the invention is to provide a door latching .assembly in which slight manual thrust on a door knob on one face of the door, in a direction inwhich the door opens, "01' a slight manual pull in the same direction on adoor knob on the opposite face of the door, will release the latch and enable the door to open.

This application is a cOntinuatiOn in-part of our application, Serial No. 576,039, filed under date of April 4, 1956, and entitled Door Latch Assembly, to which reference should be made.

The specific improvements embodied in the present invention will be explained briefly with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

" Figure 1 is a. sectional elevation taken through the,

door and through the. center line of the door knobs;

'Figure 2 is a corresponding horizontal section taken through the center of the door knobs;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional elevation taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1; v

Figure 4. is a section on line H of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentaryhorizontal section on line 55 of Figure 4 illustrating the latch in normal position;

Figure 6 is a similar section showing the position of the latch when the latch is brought into contact with the striker plate in the normal closing of the door;

Figure 7 is a similar 'section'showing the position of the latch after it has beenreleased and has beenbrought into contact with the striker plate as the door is being swung to open position;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the latch and its holding member entirely removed from the assembly; and

Figure 9 is an elevation of the outerend of the latch taken from the right of Figures 4 and 5 I h For purposes of illustration, the door, indicated by the reference character 10, in which the latch and latch .con-

trol assembly are shown asmounted, is assumed to be.

a, solid wooden door, although it is to be understood that the invention may be employed similarly with other types of doors.

The two opposite door knobs are indicated by the reference characters 11 and 12 and the door latch itself by the reference character 13. In general, the arrangement of the entire assembly is such that pressure against one of the door knobs (thus pressureagainst the knob 11 in the arrangement of the assembly as illustrated), in the direction in which the door is mounted to open, will release the latch so that a continuance of this slight thrust orpressure against the knob will cause the door to open, and that similarly a slight pull in the same direction on the-opposite knob 12 will produce the same result, The direction in which such thrust (or pull) is exerted, and thus the direction in which the door opens, is towards the right in the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2. However, a thrust against the door itself inthisdirection will not release the latch 13 nor. enable the door to open,-

2 for the thrust must be exerted against the knob 11 itself (or a corresponding pull exerted on the knob 12 itself) as will presently be explained.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, the two door knobs 11 and 12 are mounted on opposite sides of the door 10. The door knobs are secured to the ends of the shaft 17 which is axially slidable, to a limited extent, in a stationary sleeve 19. The sleeve 19 and shaft 17 extend through the center of a circular opening 18 which is cut through the door. The sleeve 19 is supported in a pair of door plates or rosettes 20 and 21 which are mounted on opposite sides of the door and are clamped together by means of screws 22. One end of the sleeve 19 (thus, the left hand end as viewed in Figures 1 and 2), is threaded and engages the threads on the inside of the cylindrical channel 20' of the door plate 20. Thus, the door plates 20 and 21 and the stationary sleeve 19 may. be adjusted for doors of dilferent thickness. i

A main latch control pin 14 extends vertically through a pair of diametrically opposite holes 23, 23 in the shaft 17 and also through a pair of identical, longitudinallyextending, diametrically opposite slots 24, 24 in the stationary sleeve 19. The control pin 14 is always in engagement with a latch-holding member 16, later described. The slots 24, 24 limit the extent to which the shaft 17, and therewith the control pin 14, as well as the two door knobs 11 and'12, can move with respect to the stationary supporting sleeve 19. A spring 15 has one end attached to the topof the control pin 14 and the other secured to a lug 25 welded on the stationary sleeve 19. Thus, the spring 15 normally holds the shaft 17, and therewith a control pin 14 and the door knobs 11 and 12, in the position indicated in-Figure 1 but permits them to be moved to the right (as viewed in this figure) againstv the force of this spring 15 for a distance limited to the length of the slots 24. Such movement, when imparted to the control pin 14 against the force of spring 15,,releases the door latch, shown at 13 in Figure 2, in a manner to be presently described.

Referring now to Figures 4 to 9, inclusive, the door latch 13, which is preferably shaped as shown in thev drawings, is pivotally mounted between two parallel ex tending fingers 16A and 16B (Figure 8) of the special latch-holding members 16, which may be referred to as 32 is secured in place in this recess by means of a pair of screws 35 which pass through holes in the flange 33, the flange being countersunk in the edge face of the door in the usual manner.

The inner or opposite end of the housing 32 has an opening 36 (see Figures 5 and 6) through which the rear end portion of the latch-holding member 16 extends, and the latch-holding member is formed with a shoulder 37 which normally engages a portion of the rear wall of the housing 32 on one side of the opening 36, as shown in Figures 5 and 6.- A spring 38 (shown most clearly in Figure 7), having one end attached to the member 16 and the other member attached to a lug welded on the inside of the housing'32, holds the member 16 normally in the position shown in Figures 5 and 6. When the member 16 is in this normal position, the engagement of the shoulder 37 with the rear end wall of the housing 32 prevents the member 16 from being pushed inwardly against thefforce of spring 38, but if the rear end portion of member 16 is temporarily pushed by the control pin 1'4into'disengagingposition,as-illustrated in Figure 7, then it is possible for member 16 to be thrust inwardly.

The latch 13 has a pair of vertically aligned lugs 39 which engage a pair of inwardly extending hooks 40, respectively, which are formed in the front wall of the housing 32, and, 7 under certain conditions, provide a pivotal mounting for the latch 13. A spring '41, held under compression between a thrust bar 42, pivotally attached to latch 13, and a stationary hooked lug 43, attached to the inside of the housing 32, normally holds the latch with'the lugs 39 in engagement with the retaining hooks 40 but permits the latch 13 to be pushed inwardly against the force of spring 41. The latch has a pair of cam members in the form of identical, vertically 'aligned raised portions 44, one of which is shown in Figures 5 to 7, and which portions are formed with curved edges adapted to bear against'the ends of the pair of hooks 40, respectively.

The operation of the latch will now be described with reference to Figures 5, 6 and 7. In Figure 5, the latch is shown in normal position which will be its position when the door is open or when thedoor has been entirely closed and the latch has been received into the customary recess in the striker plate. in the closing of the door, the latch 13 will first come into contact with the striker plate, indicated at 45 in Figure 6, which striker plate will be mounted around the usual recess in the door casing for receiving the latch. As the latch contacts the striker plate 45, the spring 41 permits the latch to move into the position shown in Figure 6, and the latch in this position passes across the striker plate until it reaches the striker plate recess and returns to the normal position of Figure 5. During this movement, which may be called latching rotation, the latch pivots on the hinge points indicated at 160, being the points at which the latch is pivotally mounted on the parallel fingers 16A and 16B of member 16; thus latching rotation occurs at the stop side of the latch opening.

When the door has been closed, the latch again being in the normal position of Figure 5, any attempt to'open the door would require the latch to pivot on the lugs 39. This is impossible as long as the member 16 has its shoulder in engagement with the rear wall of the housing 32. However, when the member 16 is moved sufficiently by the control pin 14 to cause the shoulder 37 to be disengaged from the rear wall of the housing 32, the plunger member lfican then be pushed inwardly as shown in Figure 7, and enable the latch 13 to pivot on the lugs 39 in unlatching rotation about the swing side of the latch opening, and in so doing to move over the striker plate 45 in the opening of the door. 7

Thus, a slight movement of the control pin 14 acts to release the latch-holding member 16 and thereby to release the latch sufficiently to enable the door to'be opened, and this slight but necessary movement of the control pin 14 is obtained by either 'a thrust on the knob 11 or a pull on the knob 12 (Figure l), as previously described, resulting in temporarily moving the knobs, shaft 17, and control pin 14 against the force of spring 15.

The preferred shape of the door knobs 11 and 12 is shown in Figures 1 and 2. To facilitate the proper moving of the knobs for the opening of the door, and t prevent any inadvertent attempt to turn or twist either knob, these knobs in their preferred form are made with identical, downwardly and inwardly extending tapered portions 11A and 12A, respectively. These portions carry horizontal, inwardly-extending guide pins 11B and 123, respectively (Figure l) at their lower ends. Recesses for these guide pins are provided in the door and preferably are furnished with tubular inserts or shields 26 and 27 in which the guide pins 11B and 12B can then slide easily. The door knobs, when so formed, in additiOn to being practical and serviceable, are very attractive in appearance and are relatively inexpensive and simple to fabricate; but, of course, various other shapes and types "of knobs ma also be empldyea with this assembly. 'I

We claim:

1. A door latch assembly for a door adapted to swing to and from a closed position and to cooperate with a strike plate, said assembly including: a housing adapted to be mounted in said door-at the outer edge thereof, said housing having opposed side walls and a latch opening at its outer end adapted to be positioned'at said outer edge of said door, and having a plunger opening at its innerend; a plunger member loosely reciprocable in said plunger opening, said. plunger having an inner portion thereof extending through said plunger opening; a shoulder provided on said housing between said plunger 'opening and one of said side walls; a catch integral with said plunger for engaging said shoulder and retaining said plunger in a normal latching position along said one wall of said housing, but permitting said plunger to be displaced and retracted inwardly'through said plunger opening; a latch; closure pivot means for pivotally mounting said latch at the outer end of said plunger'and adapted to permit latching rotation of said latch about a point adjacent said one of said side walls of said housing as said latch passes over said strike plate into latching position during closure; a latch cam integral with said latch and engaging said housing adjacent said latch opening to guide said latch during latching rotation; unlatching pivot means carried on said latch; an unlatching pivot shoulder formed at the outer end of said housing adjacent the other side wall thereof, said unlatching pivot shoulder being adapted to receive said unlatching pivot means but being open toward the inner end of said housing to release said unlatching pivot means and to thereby permit said latching rotation; a plunger-retracting spring for returning said plunger from a retracted unlatching position to normal latching position; a latch return spring for urging said latch outwardly about said closure pivot means during latching rotation; and manually operable means for moving said inwardly extending portion of said plunger across said plunger opening toward said other side wall of said housing, thereby releasing said plunger from said shoulder and permitting it to move from latching to unlatching position.

2. A door latch assembly for a door'adapted to swing to and from a closed position and to cooperate with a strike plate, said assembly including: a housing adapted to be mounted in said door at the outer edge thereof, said housing having opposed side walls and a latch opening at its outer end adapted to be positioned at said outer edge of said 'door, and having a plunger opening at its inner end; a plunger member loosely reciprocable in 'said plunger opening from a normal latching position disposed at least partly in said housing and a retracted unlatching'position removed at least partly from said housing through said plunger opening; catch means disposed inthe vicinity of said plunger opening for retaining said plunger in said normal position; a plunger retracting spring for returning said plunger from its retracted unlatching position to its normal latching position; a latch; pivot means mounting said latch at the outer end of said plunger for pivotal movement about a point between said latch opening and one of said side walls of saidhousing when said plunger is in its normal position; a second pivot means carried on said latch and mating with fixed pivot means adjacent the other side wall of said housing to permit said latch to rotate on said second pivot means when said plunger is moved between normal and re-' tracted position; a latch return spring for urging said latch outwardly through said latch opening during rotation about said first pivot means; and means operating said plunger to release it from said catch means.

3. A door latch assembly for a door adapted to swing to and from a closed position and to cooperate with a strike plate, said assembly including: a housing adapted at its outer end adapted to be positioned at said outer edge of said door, and having a plunger opening at its inner end; a plunger member loosely reciprocable in said plunger opening between a normal latching position and a retracted unlatching position; a shoulder provided on said housing between said plunger opening and one of said side walls; a catch integral with said plunger for engaging said shoulder and retaining said plunger in its normal latching position; a plunger-return spring for returning said plunger from retracted unlatching position to normal latching position; a latch; closure pivot means for pivotally mounting said latch at the outer end of said plunger and adapted to permit latching rotation of said 15 latch about a point adjacent said one of said side walls of said housing; unlatching pivot means carried on said latch; an unlatching pivot shoulder mounted on said housing adjacent the other of said side walls thereof, said unlatching pivot shoulder being formed to receive said unlatching pivot means but being open at the inner end thereof to release said unlatching pivot means and permit rotation of said latch about said closure pivot means when said plunger is in said latching position; a latch return spring for urging said latch outwardly through said latch opening during latching rotation about said closure pivot means; and manually operable means for releasing said plunger catch from said shoulder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

